New Nissan creates 500 UK jobs

THE NEW NISSAN Qashqai starts coming off the production line today, which has helped create 500 new jobs at the Japanese car giant's UK plant in the coming months. The second generation Qashqai will be built in Sunderland, where the workforce is set to increase to over 7,000 for the first time. Around 286,000 Qashqai cars were built last year, with production numbers expected to be similar in 2014.

New Ford KA Concept revealed

New Ford KA Concept revealed The current Ford KA really hasn’t been an overwhelming success for Ford – unlike the original KA – and there was a point where Ford were considering scrapping the KA altogether. But common sense has prevailed in a car buying world that is seeing more and more downsizing, so Ford is planning a new KA – expected to arrive for the 2015 model year – but, unlike the current KA, it won’t be a shared venture with the Fiat 500. Instead, it seems Ford are planning on using the previous generation Fiesta platform to underpin the new KA and offer a proper Ford city car rather than a second-rate Fiat 500.

Sky takes Mazda powertrains to the next level

Mazda's next-generation of powertrains, called Sky, will feature a variety of new technologies that company engineers say improve fuel efficiency by 20 percent. The Sky engines--Sky-G for the gasoline version, Sky-D for diesel--coupled with a Sky-Drive automatic transmission or a six-speed manual, were offered for test drives during a technology day in Berlin. The Sky-G engine we drove was a 2.0-liter inline-four that made 160 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque.